Sight Unseen
by ChibiJaime
Summary: The latest in the Flash legacy, Wally West is content in the knowledge that he will always be fast enough. But when something starts attacking him, something no one else can see and he can't outrun, will his confidence stand up to the test? CHAPTER 2 UP
1. Night and Day

_Most of this is based on the JLU cartoon, but small inferences are taken from the comics and books (i.e.: I kept Wally's original back-story and J'onn is a fan of Oreos, as well as the inclusion of Linda Park, who **was** in one episode... and Wally going public with his identity with Linda's help, from the Flash novel). Other than that, this is pretty much cartoon based. I'm sorry this first chapter is so short, too! I promise the next one will be longer._

_I have this weird thing about picking on Wally. I have no idea why. Oh well. Enjoy!_

_**--Sight Unseen--**  
-Part One - Night and Day-_

Somehow, running had always been his escape. Even as a child, before summers with his Aunt Iris, before Barry, before the incident. As long as he could remember, Wally West had run. He had seen from his early years the heroes of the Golden Age. Hal Jordan, the Green Lantern. J'onn J'onzz, the Martian Manhunter.

Barry Allen, who was his uncle by marriage. The Flash. His hero.

He had often dreamed of running toe to toe with the speedster who wore the crimson costume, a lightning bolt emblazoned proudly on his chest, the stylized wings of Mercury on the cowl. His aunt had made meeting his childhood hero a reality. A somewhat fortuitous chain of events and an unexpected accident had made him more. He had become the protégé to his hero due to an accident identical to the one that granted Barry his speed... and did the same for him.

But Barry was dead now. He had run himself to death and become one with the Speed Force, the singularity and existence of all things. A place only speedsters who obtained and broke the speed of light itself would ever see.

No speedster had ever stood at that brink and lived to tell of it. None but him. None but Wally West, who had taken on the mantle of the Flash shortly after the death of Barry Allen. Within that year, the Justice League was formed. In a few more, a desperate Wally West had run faster than the speed of light to defeat Luthor-Brainiac.

These days, he knew Barry would be pleased with his actions, and in that knowledge, he carried the mantle just as proudly. Things had calmed. With the League on top of things as they were apt to be, he had taken time to slow his _life_ down. Unafraid, he had begun a relationship with television reporter Linda Park. She was the first person to know, outside of the League, his face beneath the cowl. She had stood beside him when he revealed to the world that the cheerful and enthusiastic forensic scientist Wally West and the bold and super fast Flash were one in the same.

And things only kept getting better, it seemed. Just the other day, his closest friends had thrown him and Linda a party. An engagement party, to be exact. The untamable Wally West had finally been tamed, and in a little under a year would be getting married. Linda had shown a great deal of ease in the face of some of the giants and legends of the superhero business. Superman and the Green Lantern were there, as well as a somber-faced J'onn J'onzz (who, to Wally's amusement, Linda had quickly won over with a piece of her famous Oreo cheesecake). Even the elusive Batman put in a brief appearance. He, Wally was aware, had been the least approving of Wally's openness with his identity, but he congratulated him all the same on the engagement.

It was the arrival of Shayera Hol, once known as Hawkgirl, that truly pleased Wally. He had been an only child, so sibling relationships were outside his experience, but very shortly into their friendship, the Thanagarian had all but adopted him as a younger brother of sorts. Shayera, he noted often, was probably one of the bravest people he knew, and he both respected and admired her for that. She was like the sister he never had, and much to his relief, Linda seemed to pick up on this and welcomed her openly.

Now, days later, he was relaxed. Lying in bed with the single most gorgeous woman in the world spooned against his stomach and chest, Wally was perfectly content. He was Wally West. He was the Flash. He was a speedster, the third in the Flash Legacy... and he knew he would always be fast enough.

* * *

It was as he was falling asleep that he heard it. A faint, terrible scratching at the edge of his consciousness. Feeling irritated, and at the same time unnerved, the scarlet speedster lifted his head. The sound faded and he saw nothing. Linda must've felt him move, as she mumbled, shifting to glance back at him through a fall of ebon hair. "Wally?" she inquired, voice still heavy with sleep. "Everything okay?"

Wally blinked, then smiled down at her and, for a moment, marveled at his good fortune, sound forgotten. Then, he flashed one of his most charming grins. "Everything's fine, sweetheart," he countered, kissing her shoulder. "Go back to sleep. I know you've gotta be at work early."

It didn't take Linda long to comply, and Wally made an attempt to follow suit, settling next to her. But he no more had his head on the pillow than the scratching began anew, louder this time... closer.

This time, Linda didn't even flinch.

* * *

Wally was out of the bed and around the room to check before Linda drew her next breath, and in the hall before she let it out. He moved on towards the living room, then, senses accelerating at a rate proportionate to his speed to keep up with his swiftness of motion.

Something was in his apartment.

Somehow, the faster he moved, the louder the noises became... and then he saw it. Was it a figment of the dimly lit flat as he moved? No. It stayed as he slowed, lingering before him. Dark and menacing, almost viscous, swaying like a living shadow, its hollow eyes - how could he even tell they were eyes? - burning into him with all the hatred something that seemed to be so _unreal _could muster.

By the time he stopped, he was some five feet from the thing. Only two or three seconds, if that, had passed since he'd left the bedroom on the other side of the apartment. The thing remained, lingering and cold.

/If it lunges,/ Wally thought/I can outrun it. It's moving like gravity is too much for it./

His muscles tightened, ready to move, but it didn't take more than that. As if his movement had broken some ethereal hold on the creature, it was on him, even as he made to run out of the way. He cried out, startled, and crashed into an end table, his skull cracking hard against the arm of the couch as he fell, its claws tearing at his chest and arms...

And then, blackness.

* * *

Wally woke to the sound of Linda screaming his name between sobs, alternating between cupping his face and swabbing his cheeks and forehead with a damp cloth. He could tell someone else was there as well, but his vision was still far too blurry to tell who it was.

It took a moment or two to find his voice, croaking out all he could think to. "Linda...?"

"Oh my God, Wally...!" That was Linda again, sobbing. "Oh God oh God... baby, are you okay...?!"

The speedster groaned. "Something... there was something _here_... it..." He hissed softly in pain. His head hurt something fierce. "How did I get away?"

"You were alone when we found you." Now he know the other presence. J'onn. His vision was starting to clear and he could make out the form of the Martian standing above him. "I felt your terror and immediately made my way here. Linda was to you before I was, however..." He pointed at the door. "I did knock."

Linda had a weak smile on her face. "I had no idea your friends were so polite, sweetie." She sniffled softly, and when Wally shifted, she fluttered, trying to brace him. "Oh, don't move... your head--"

"My head? My chest has to be worse... and my arms." He blinked. His eyes were finally focusing now and he could see the baffled expression both J'onn and Linda wore. "...what?"

J'onn shook his head. "Your chest and arms are untouched, but you have a concussion. Perhaps a night terror? You may have been sleep walking."

The expression on the speedster's face was shocked. "But... no! I... I _know _I was awake! I saw it and... whatever it was, it jumped at me! I felt the claws... it was trying to rip me apart! I couldn't get away from it!"

"Baby, maybe you're delusional from hitting your head..." Linda murmured, stroking back his mussed red hair. "Maybe we should get you to the hospital..."

"The concussion should not be that severe, Linda," J'onn was soothing. "I would, however, like to perform a mental scan... if Wally will permit."

Linda gave her fiancé a terribly worried look and the speedster, looking surprisingly vulnerable in a muscle shirt and boxers, gave a sigh and a weary grin. "I don't think I have a choice."

* * *

His arrival at the Watchtower went mostly unnoticed as most everyone was otherwise occupied. John Stewart, the Green Lantern, he knew must be with Shayera. He was glad they'd patched things up. Batman would undoubtedly be prowling Gotham at this hour, and if Diana wasn't with him, she was likely on duty in the Monitor Womb. Clark Kent? He was willing to bet good money that he was with Lois Lane.

Which left everyone that hardly ever noticed him anyway... and J'onn, who was carefully bracing his otherwise injured teammate. Wally was feeling very sick to his stomach, and despite having changed into his costume save for the cowl, which stayed pushed back, he still felt horribly cold.

"Are you all right, Flash?" Up here, J'onn seemed all business. He couldn't recall a time the Manhunter had called him "Wally" while in the Watchtower. "You feel feverish."

That made Wally blink and he turned a curious expression on the Martian. "Feverish?" He laughed a little. "J'onn, if you really wanna know, I'm absolutely freezing."

J'onn arched his thick brow. "I see. Probably a side effect of the concussion, then." He said little else as he helped Wally to a dimly lit room where he could better access the speedster's mind, without risk of distraction. "Wally, I must have your complete consent. I cannot do this in sound mind without that."

Wally gave a slight nod. "J'onn, that was one of the most terrifyingly real things I've experienced in a long time. This may be the only way to prove it. Something attacked me, in my own apartment. I want to get to the bottom of this before it hurts Linda."

J'onn nodded. "Then let us begin."

Twenty minutes later, J'onn finally withdrew his hands from Wally's head, and his expression was troubled. "I could find nothing."

The speedster blinked. "Nothing? At all?"

"I spent twenty minutes searching, Flash. I assure you... there was nothing concerning whatever happened to be seen. I am more convinced now than ever that you were dreaming, and walking in your sleep."

Immediately, Wally shook his head. "I don't believe that could be the _only _answer, J'onn! Couldn't there be something you're missing?"

For a long moment, the Martian Manhunter regarded him rather calmly, although his expression remained just as distraught as it had been when he released his comrade from the mental scan. "Doubtful. Although I do find it quite odd that I found _nothing_. I should have at least seen memories..."

That last statement rankled Wally far deeper than his simple encounter with the mysterious _other_. The strange being that had no shape or persona had been a fear he could put a face on, but the fact that it seemed like he was going insane? That wasn't something that sat well with him. He fidgeted slightly and J'onn frowned, resting a hand on his shoulder. "Wally." The fact that the Martian had used his real name brought the Flash's attention around again, and he glanced at J'onn quietly. "I will look into the matter. Right now, it is best that you get some sleep. Even with your accelerated metabolism, the blow to your head will probably have you out of sorts for a day or two. We will see to it that your area is seen to until you are well."

_That _didn't sit well with Wally either, but he said nothing. When one of the League was injured, someone would usually pick up the slack in their home turf until they were well enough to take up again, and in his case, it was usually Shayera. He nodded, slightly, and sighed. "All right, J'onn. I... _really _hope you're right... that I'm just imagining things." He gave a weak smile. Right now, all he wanted to do was _sleep_. "Beam me home."

* * *

The next morning, he discovered Linda had called in to work, letting one of the other reporters cover for the day to opt for taking care of her superhero fiancé. He smelled the coffee, decaff without question, and the very subtle hint of that perfume she liked to wear, and both served to be an excellent catalyst for bringing him back to the waking world. That and what smelled very much like chocolate chip waffles.

"Hey... good morning, there, sleepyhead." He turned his head towards the door, noticing her peeking in. "I was starting to think you'd sleep all day."

Wally blinked, a bit puzzled for a moment. He was home, in bed, in his muscle shirt and boxers, but... when had he gotten there? When had he changed? "When did I...?"

"Sometime last night. I heard you come home and get in the bed. When I got up, though, I saw how tired you looked even sound asleep and decided I'd stay home to take care of my man." She walked over to brush back his hair, giving him a kiss on the forehead. "I'm making waffles, and there's coffee already on. Decaff, of course."

The speedster gave a tired smile, tilting his chin up slightly. "Mmh. I knew I made a good choice when I proposed to you, sexy. C'mere."

Linda squeaked, hopping out of the way when he made a swipe for her before sticking her tongue out at him. "No way, fleet feet. I've got waffles on the iron that I'm not gonna let burn. But if you behave, I'll bring you breakfast in bed." Smiling, she gently tousled his hair, which reminded Wally all too sorely that he still had a horrible headache. "Just hang in there, baby."

As she made her way back to the kitchen, Wally sighed and sunk back against the pillows again. Had he really imagined the monster in the living room? Was he dreaming? Walking in his sleep during a nightmare he just couldn't wake up from?

Why had it all seemed so real? He could still see those hollow eyes burning right at him, as if he was the only thing in the world the thing despised. That he, Wally West, was the only thing it wanted to destroy.

But why? It hadn't been an intelligent creature, just a malignant force of... dark. That was the best way he could think to describe it. Sighing, he flopped his arm over his eyes, groaning. He needed to stop thinking right now, but the image of that thing was firmly burned into his mind and he just couldn't get it out.

The next thing he was aware of was Linda sitting down on the edge of the bed next to him, moving his arm. "C'mon, sleeping beauty... breakfast."

Had he fallen asleep again? Blinking somewhat blearily, Wally smiled up at her and shifted so that he was sitting up, leaning back against the headboard. "You'll be happy to know I'm technically off-duty for a few days. I'll have to call work."

"Already did that." Linda was smiling as she placed a lap tray, complete with waffles, syrup, and a cup of decaff, over his legs. "They're a bit more understanding since they know who you are now."

The speedster nodded, and he was careful not to burn through his breakfast as quickly as he tended to at times. _Not _eating fast was something he'd trained himself in. He could only hope he had the patience to stand still through a thirty minute wedding ceremony. It would look pretty awful if the groom was fidgeting.

"I think I'll go check on my tux today," he was saying between bites, head slightly lowered. When Linda gave him a look, he smiled. "I promise no running. I'll take it easy. Besides, I think if I tried right now my poor, abused head would explode."

Chuckling, Linda kissed the side of his head. Seemed she'd already eaten. "Well, just be careful, okay? I'm making chili for dinner, and I'd like you home in one piece."

Wally laughed slightly, reaching out to turn his reporter's face for a full kiss. "Don't worry, gorgeous. Shayera's keeping an eye on town while I'm out, and I'll be extra careful. What could go wrong?"

* * *

Central City was just about as quiet as Wally had ever seen it, which put him in surprisingly good spirits. With every passing minute, his encounter the previous night was seeming more and more like a bad dream. Perhaps J'onn just couldn't see it because he'd blocked it out, despite how vivid the memory seemed.

His tux, he was happy to see, was coming along nicely. He and Linda had opted for four people total in the wedding party, two for her and two for him, which suited both side fine. They both had one person chosen by the other, and one chosen by them... although Wally had found it quite amusing how vehemently Shayera had protested having to wear a bridesmaid dress. He knew she was mostly teasing, but it had been downright hilarious when he'd first proposed the idea.

It was nice walking through town and having people still greet him as they had before they'd known he was the Flash. Most everyone now, though, knew his name... he made sure people knew that _out _of uniform, he very much preferred to be called Wally. "Flash" always sounded too formal when he was casually dressed.

He'd seen Shayera earlier on a flyover, but she hadn't spotted him. All the best, he supposed. He would start thinking about _that _job then, and he couldn't really do for that.

At first, he thought he was imagining it. That somewhere, in all the hustle and street noise, the scratching had a different origin.

It became very clear as he came to a stop on the sidewalk that it wasn't. Something was _making _that noise, something nearby. Very nearby.

Frowning, he turned staring down the alley next to him, and there it was. Standing, or maybe floating, at the dead end opposite, its plasmic form shifting this way and that. Again, it moved as if weighted down by gravity, and Wally was almost afraid to even flinch. Last time he had tensed, and it was on him before _he _could blink. A feat, to be certain.

The strange thing was, he was standing perfectly still, and he could see people glancing into the alley and looking at him as if he were mad. What was he staring at, they were wondering. Couldn't they _see _it there?

The thought made his brow furrow, and again, the small movement unleashed the creature's fury. Wally tried to outrun it... tried to accelerate out of the way, to move before it reached him, but before he could, it was again on him, ripping and tearing. He stumbled, trying to fight it off, and the world was suddenly he and the creature as he accelerated rapidly, trying to throw it off as he backpedaled. In his haste, however, he hadn't noticed the curb, and when his heel hit the edge, it sent him tumbling backwards into the street. The fall knocked the wind out of him, and almost immediately he decelerated rapidly.

All in the fraction of a second, he'd made himself look as if he'd just jumped in the street.

And with sudden horror, he realized that the terror that thing had left in him made every muscle in his body near rigid. He couldn't move. He couldn't accelerate; he couldn't run out of the way.

This was all the worse, for no more than twenty feet from him was a semi bearing down with no chance of stopping in time...

_To Be Continued_


	2. Paper Flowers

_--Thank you so much, everyone, for the reviews! Funny thing is, never sent them to me so I never saw them until I went to update some stuff on a different story. Shows the marvels of modern tech right there._

_A bit of an interesting tidbit (for those who may be wondering), the inspiration for the villain in this story was taken from a few hours of me surfing Wikipedia (which is a mixed blessing if you're a fic writer... you get all sorts of ideas, but it can distract you for hours). If you're interested, go and wiki "shadow people." It's an interesting read!_

_Of course, Wally's shadow man is a bit more malicious than most... but that's what keeps it interesting, eh?_

_Also... sorry this is so late. I had writers' block issues!_

_Again, though, thanks for enjoying this!--_

_Recap: Wally West is the Flash. The Fastest Man Alive. He knows he's fast enough... until a strange entity begins haunting him. Where it comes from or what it wants is uncertain... all Wally can tell is that it wants him dead._

_Especially when it leaves him unable to move in the path of an oncoming semi..._

_**--Sight Unseen--**  
-Part Two - Paper Flowers-_

The next several seconds were a blur for Wally... which was unusual. The world never blurred to him. His senses always caught up to him... but for some reason, this time, his mind just wasn't making the jump, and neither would his body.

He heard the blaring of the semi's airhorn, the frantic screaming of people on the street who knew they couldn't move in time, and then... he was weightless.

There had been no pain. Was he dead?

"What the hell are you doin', Wally?!"

That was when he became aware of the green glow that was surrounding him. No, he wasn't dead... but John certainly sounded ready to kill him. Could he blame him? He looked like he'd just jumped in front of a semi for the hell of it!

"I wasn't _doing _anything!" Wally gritted his teeth. He hadn't meant to sound so irate. "Thanks for helping me, GL, but this wasn't on purpose."

The Green Lantern scoffed somewhat, floating his friend to the sidewalk before coming down beside him. "Coulda fooled me."

Getting to his feet as soon as he was able, Wally dusted himself off. He was trembling faintly, and he realized it was because his body was choosing _now _to try to accelerate more than out of fear. Frowning, he willed the shaking to stop. This time, there was no joking smile on his face, and he made no attempt to hide the fact that he was extremely unnerved by this incident. "Something isn't right," he stated, heading down the alley, eyes sharp. "It happened again."

"J'onn told us you were having nightmares, not paranoid delusions," his friend stated with a frown. "Wally, what has gotten into you?"

"Look, I don't know! I just... that thing. I saw it again. It came out of nowhere. _That _is why I was in the street."

The black and green-clad Leaguer watched his friend with a slight frown. Wally was so tense that his entire frame was vibrating, making him look like little more than a human-shaped blur standing in the alley. "I think you need to calm down before you go hunting for answers," he suggested, expression still sharpened by the frown. "You won't get anywhere vibrating hard enough to cause tremors."

Wally blinked, as if until this very moment, he hadn't even noticed he was moving. Speedsters were like that naturally, but Wally always kicked himself when he caught himself losing control over his speed like that. He had more self-control than that. "...I just wanna know what this is and why it's focusing on me."

"Slow down for a sec and we'll go to the Watchtower. Maybe J'onn can--..."

"If J'onn told you I was having nightmares then he should've told you he already _tried_. I'm confused, I'm tired... I nearly got flattened by a semi because all of a sudden, I couldn't... I couldn't _run_, GL. I couldn't accelerate. I couldn't get out of the way." He tightened slightly, and his features became clearer than they had been moments before. "I've... when I was younger, when I was a teenager and doing work-study with Barry... and became Kid Flash, I... I couldn't believe I'd _ever _made it without being able to _move_. Now, after all this time, I was... powerless. I just couldn't move."

John gave a sigh, folding his arms. "Then let's go to the Watchtower anyway. Maybe this time J'onn can find something. Maybe before you were just too tired."

"Yeah." Wally wasn't looking at him anymore, instead focusing on an obscure spot in the alley. "Maybe."

* * *

Linda Park was quite possibly the happiest woman alive. Why shouldn't she be? She couldn't say she'd quite expected the turn her life had taken, but she certainly wasn't the sort to look a gift horse in the mouth. She knew better.

It had been a whirlwind romance. After finally giving up on ever _dreaming_ that the Flash, of all people, could be interested in her, she'd lowered her standards a bit to a mild, friendly, outgoing young forensic scientist she'd interviewed after a major criminal investigation. He was attractive, with a shock of mussed red hair and bright, attentive green eyes, and very fit, with a build that rivalled some of the most skilled triathelon athletes she could think of. Why Wally West had decided to become a forensic scientist the way he kept in shape, she thought she would never know.

It shocked her one day when he seemed apprehensive, and even more fidgetty than usual. She'd noticed his unusual habits early on, but never once questioned him. He could hardly ever keep still, always fidgetting or twiddling his fingers or shifting in his seat or tapping his foot, and he had a metabolism so over the top that it seemed he could put away limitless amounts of food and never gain an ounce of weight - a fact she was, understandably, a bit jealous of but never once voiced.

But that day had been different. Something was on his mind, and she'd inquired. He smiled at her, glad she'd asked, and then... wasn't there. For a moment, she thought she was dreaming, and in the next instant he was there again, but...

She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Though his cowl was pushed back, the red costume he wore was exactly the one she'd spent so long chasing after. He was looking at her plaintively, as if she'd be _angry _with him for being... the Flash. To Linda, however, it explained so much. The constant movement, his voracious appetite, his athlete's physique on a simple forensic scientist... everything.

No, she'd been far from angry. She was almost _too _giddy. But Wally had understood - he was a good man like that - and then asked her if she would help him. He wanted to go public. Wanted to show people that the man under the crimson cowl was not frightening, but just an average guy. He was tired of hiding. He wanted people to trust _Wally West_. Not the Flash.

And she'd stood by him, when he'd publicly unmasked to the shock of many. He still wore the costume, mostly because it was a nod to his predecessor, but everyone knew that Wally West and the Flash were one in the same.

Now she was standing in the dress salon, getting her dress tailored. To think! Linda Park, marrying the Flash. Now there was a story for tabloids. As the seamstress worked around the hem of the elegant a-line dress, she sighed somewhat dreamily.

And somewhere in the back of her mind, she became faintly aware of an odd scratching noise in a dressing room ten feet away...

* * *

Teleporting to the Watchtower always gave Wally uncomfortable crawling sensations in his skin that brought to mind when he was a kid and terrified of spiders. It was gone almost as soon as it began, of course, but it was a funny thought, and always managed to brighten his spirits just a little bit whenever he made the trip.

Today, however, and last night just the same, he hadn't been able to focus on the silly thoughts that often came with teleportation. Today was a sour reminder that the night before, something had attacked him, and today, it had happened again. Mostly, he was distressed at the thought that he was going mad. What other explaination _was _there?

"What were you doing in Central, anyway, John?" Wally questioned, glancing at his friend. "Shayera's covering my area today."

The Green Lantern glanced at the man beside him, who was still in his civvies. "There was a situation that Shayera needed help with. They sent Ollie instead, since I had to stop and save _your _ass."

Wally flinched and sighed. "Yeah... sorry about that..."

He watched for a moment as John's expression softened and he shook his head. "Don't worry about it, hot shot." He paused. "You're lookin' pale."

"Trust me, if you'd had the kind of day I did, you'd be looking pale too." The young speedster sighed. "I don't know, John. I really don't. This whole situation has me on edge, and it's got me worried about Linda. What if this... this _thing _tries to attack her? What if it _does_ attack her? It's faster than me... if it managed to knock me off-guard, imagine what it could do to her!"

John's brow went up and he laid a hand on the Flash's shoulder, speaking gently. "You listen to me, now, Wally. This is probably all in your head. We'll talk to J'onn, and then--..."

The Lantern was cut off by another presence moving into the hallway. He was barely visible at first, but just as quickly, he slipped out of the shadows that he so often spent his nights in, moving like a wraith, silent and smooth as water. Here was the Batman, and his attention was raptly on Wally West. "Flash. There's a situation in Central City."

Wally blinked. "I'll be down in the minute. Probably just Mirrormaster or--..."

"Linda was attacked at the dress shop, Flash. She's in the hospital."

* * *

Superman himself could not have stopped Wally West from getting down to Central City General as soon as he'd gotten the news. What had attacked her? Had it been the same thing? The thought that the beast that had attacked him going after Linda hurt more than the thought of leaving her by means of something it did. She shouldn't have to be hurt because of him, but he knew that being the Flash, the risk was always there.

He was bouncing back and forth from one foot to the other when he asked the nurse where Linda was. She only stared for a moment or two. Most everyone, after all, knew that the Flash was engaged to the perky television reporter from Central City. After her initial shock had worn off, she rattled off the room and off Wally went. He was in the room before the nurse he'd spoken to could blink, and he swallowed when he finally slipped far enough to see his fiancee.

"Linda...?"

The woman laying in the bed blinked, then turned and smiled. "Wally! How did you--...?"

In a quick walk, the scarlet speedster moved to Linda's side, taking her hand in his. She looked fine overall, save for a bandage wrapped about her head. "I was..." He paused. "Got a message from the Bat. What _happened_, baby?"

He knew she would figure out he was hiding something... but she did not question it. She just squeezed his hand tightly, pretty Asian features distorted by worry. "I... god, Wally, I don't know, it just... the lady at the dress shop was working on my hem and she just... she started swatting at the air around her head and shrieking that there were _bees_, but I couldn't see a thing!" She paused, free hand lifting to her head. "I heard this scratching noise in the dressing room one over and I didn't think anything of it... I was just trying to help the seamstress when I saw this... this _thing _jump at me... I ducked, but my foot slipped and I fell off, cracking my head and... that's the last thing I remember." Here, she gave a weary smile. "I apparently needed stitches... but I'll be okay."

Frowning, Wally leaned over to gently rest his forehead against Linda's, hand coming up to cup her cheek. "God, Linda, I'm sorry... this all started with me--..."

"Sweetheart, you're a superhero. It's a dangerous job and I'm well aware there are times I'll be in the line of fire. This is no different. I don't blame you."

Wally's brow furrowed. "It still shouldn't have happened!" Sighing, he lifted his head, kissing her forehead gently. "You just get some rest, beautiful. I've got to go to the Watchtower. We'll fix this. I promise."

* * *

As soon as his feet hit the teleporter pad, Wally was in motion. He darted around to the side and up to the control deck, standing behind J'onn, watching as the Martian turned to acknowledge his presence. "Is there something I can help you with, Flash?"

"I know you said you couldn't see anything, J'onn, but you've _got _to try again. This thing tried to attack Linda this time." He saw the Martian's brow furrow. "Please. I've gotta know what this thing is. I know it's not my imagination now, and the fact that Linda got hurt should be enough proof of that!"

J'onn gave him a level glance, studying him carefully with an expression that read of great concern. Wally didn't blame him, of course. This whole situation seemed absolutely insane. What could this thing be, after all, that was so desperate to attack the Flash like it was? Why would it go after _Linda_? Why could no one else see it?

At long last, however, the Martian gave a slow nod. "We will try again." He lifted his hands, pausing only when Wally flinched... just a little. "May I?"

Letting out a deep sigh as J'onn placed his fingertips at the sides of his head, Wally forced himself to relax... to focus. J'onn had to see something. There had to be something there. He couldn't just be _imagining _this. He couldn't be!

He felt the solemn presence of the telepath carefully entering his mind, shoulder twitching slightly. It was uncomfortable having someone else in your mind, but he respected the fact that his alien friend would never look any further than what you were willing to let him see, and that J'onn always did his best to be as unobtrusive as possible.

From the outside, the pair was perfectly still. Nearby, Superman was approaching, prompted by that displaced hum in his nerves and the distinct thrumming in his chest that always signalled the arrival of the scarlet speedster. He had learned, over the years, to more closely identify how Wally moved. The variations in the vibrations his speed caused could be used to determine his moods just as easily as his expression itself.

Wally was frightened.

As the Man of Steel stood watch, J'onn J'onzz carefully maneuvered his own mind through the Flash's, watching for any hint or sign of the creature that had so suddenly made itself a nuisance.

Then he felt it. It was an alien presence, not so unlike his own, but so very different. And as soon as it was there, it was like someone boring through his mind with hot needles. Without meaning to, J'onn jerked back with a startled cry, breaking contact with the speedster and tearing from his mind so suddenly that Wally was forced to his knees, the sudden withdrawal sending shooting pains through his head.

Superman was able to catch J'onn before he fell, noting the blank, startled expression on the Martian's face with great concern. "J'onn! What on Earth...?!"

"It is not of this world." His reply was barely a whisper, no small amount of fear rippling through it. It was a tone unlike any the Kryptonian had heard from him before. "It is from a world of dark... of endless night. Where the darkness is the only reality, and to break the light barrier is forbidden... a sin among the greatest sins. Wally has seen the other side. He has been to a place where the world is nothing but speed and light, and it followed him by the residue the Speed Force left upon him. It seeks to destroy him, and all who are near him." Slowly, J'onn's voice was returning to normal and his pose grew steadier. "Whatever this thing is... it will not rest until it has killed the Flash."

* * *

Wally did not wake for a few hours after J'onn had withdrawn from his mind. The Martian, more than once, carefully maneuvered back in, repairing the damage he had done when he had forcefully removed himself. He had been unnerved by the whole situation, and more than that, guilty for having even accidentally done harm to his speedy comrade.

But there was so much more to it, wasn't there? There was something in this situation that even the Manhunter could not comprehend. Why travel to a world where light was dominant to kill one speedster? Why not target Superman, who drew his very power from the brilliant radiance of the Earth's yellow sun? Why did it focus entirely on Wally and nothing else?

Why did the claws of the shadow monster feel so very, very real to the speedster?

So many unanswered questions, so many untapped avenues...

And Wally, right at the middle of it.

What did it all mean?

Superman stood nearby, his arms folded across his broad chest, expression grave. He was not sure what was connecting all of this, or what was happening to cause all this insanity... but now it felt like it was futile to try to fight. A creature of darkness... of pure shadows. That is how J'onn had described it.

It was as if the longer it stayed here, the more real to this universe it became. As if it became less shadow and more tangible, touchable thought.

He wondered if there wasn't some sense to that. The thing had left visible marks on him in their past encounter, scrapes just beneath his clothes that they hadn't seen on first inspection. In its first attack, there was nothing... the effect was psychological. In this second attack, it was tangible to some extent, and had even attacked Wally's fiancee. There was definitely something far deeper at work here.

As he watched the prone form of the unconscious speedster, his whole frame twitching just barely on a few very rare occasions as if something was striking him from within.

His brow furrowed as he watched his friend, murmuring softly, "Just what is going on in there, Wally...?"

* * *

Wally's mind was in turmoil. There had been some residual psychic damage when J'onn had pulled from his mind so suddenly, but that wasn't what kept the Scarlet Speedster so deeply under. There was something there, something he could see, something he could _feel_. It had to do with whatever was affecting him lately. It was as if the thing left its mark on him.

It wanted him to know what was coming.

The minutes passed, and just as Superman was asking his question, the speedster's eyes shot open. He was suddenly panting, terrified, and J'onn - being closest - pressed a concerned hand to his shoulder, thick brow furrowed. "Wally?" It was rare that the Manhunter referred to him by name, but it spoke of the level of concern the Martian felt. "Are you all right?"

Even through his panic, even through his fear, Wally managed to focus. He looked straight at J'onn as Superman moved over from the other side, listening just as intently, and he spoke, two simple phrases that sent chills through his teammates.

"It's coming for me," he whispered. "I'm going to die."

_To Be Continued_


End file.
